making a seat, any tips??

[devon-tony]

rightthen all I got left is final paint, wiring and making the seat, hopefully all this will be done this weekend/early next week

but Im a little stuck with the seat, going to use ally as the base, easy to work with and light, local material place had a clearout of end of rolls and got a load of black vynil leathery type stuff cheap so thats ideal

but suggestions for seat foam, and any hints of tips oon putting it all together

will be very thin seat so was thining about trying to use a few layers of that foam bed roll stuff

any recomended adhesives for gluing the vynil and foam to the base??, evo stick???

strange that I have built a few bikes and trikes but this bike has presented the most first time things to me than any other, this seat being one of them

I have prepared the frame rails with plenty of layers of tape to allow for the thickness of the vynil return under the base, just a little worried and confused about how to get it all together and stay together.

[Lo1]

One tip I have is to put a shower cap between the foam and the vinyl / leather

[Lo1]

oh and never ever ever ever ever put a shower cap on yer head.....

looking cool and trendy
looking cool and trendy
(puts shower cap on)
looking like a dick head

[Wulfgar_SDL]

Use the bed roll foam, at about 1" thick it won't bottom out, also put a thin layer of standard foam on top of the bed roll foam for comfort.

I use a contact glue called 'Bond it' and that's exactly what it does, i never use vinyl can't stand the stuff but if it's what you can afford then go for it.

Make sure you put an edging around the seat base like car door trim otherwise the sharp edge will cut through the vinyl.

[devon-tony]

ah the trim round the base, thats a damned good idea, I got some from RS a week or two ago to put round the alloy tank dash panel I had made, would never have tought of using it on the edge of the seat

sadly the vynil option is really my only option, no idea how to work with leather, and the only place round here that used to cover seats dirt cheap, the guy had a heart attack and is no longer doing the work, which is a major loss

the bike isnt a show bike, its just a home build jobby and so I cant justify paying out fortunes to someone to cover a seat, and also cant wait that long :(

[trikerdrew]

http://www.chopperweb.net/forum/articles.php?action=viewarticle&artid=100

Hope it helps,made me think differently about construction.

[Dougie]

I used 3 layers of camping mat,stuck together with double sided carpet tape,then covered with copious amounts of black gaffa tape.A bit of softer foam on the top then got it covered in vinyl.Comfy enough for me.

[Taff]

There is half decent upholstery aerosol glue to be found in some diy places.
Sticks sponge to base and sponge to sponge.

[Freak]

It's not to everyones taste but I prefere my seat a touch on the hard side rather than soft.
Soft seating is fine in me living room but on me bike it tends to make my arse go to sleep
on a long journey.

[Blackjack]

Have a look at that vinyl.

Usually you find that it stretches more in one direction than the other. I usually cover seats so that the "stretchiest" direction is running front to rear.

This seems to help with not getting wrinkles on the ends.

Apparently this is what is known as the "bias" and when you hear dressmakers muttering about cutting cloth on the bias, that's what they're talking about.

[Mitch]

Have a look at that vinyl.

Usually you find that it stretches more in one direction than the other. I usually cover seats so that the "stretchiest" direction is running front to rear.

This seems to help with not getting wrinkles on the ends.

Apparently this is what is known as the "bias" and when you hear dressmakers muttering about cutting cloth on the bias, that's what they're talking about.
My Morris tattercoat's got that about it... the silver tatters all stretch in the wrong direction so when someone sits on them, they stretch too far...
... just thought I'd put that one in :D

[Taff]

Work hard on the base, it has more bearing on the final comfort than the foam will have.
The last seat i made, i built the support hump behind me back (was for a rigid so was quite a high step up to the pillion) into the base, out of steel, rather than build it up with foam, that wont support you at all.
A covering of it with foam same as the rest of the seat made it dead comfy.
Take it you've sussed to use pop rivets to hold cover on, stretch it right across, nice and tight, cos it will stretch after, ready covered in evo-stick or spray-on where it contacts the base, then drill and rivet till it aint going nowhere.

[devon-tony]

thanks Taff, I had thoguht about the rivets but wasnt sure how well the covering would stand up to the stress etc??

the seat hasnt got to be perfect but I am a fussy git and want it as good as I can make it

then end of this year when I can afford it I will be tearing the bike apart to do everything again better and nicer, then getting seat covered professionally, had my heart set on the rayskin insert that I saw at south and west this year, but £200 for the seat covering I havent got right now :(

[Taff]

From a proper industrial estate type nut/bolt suppliers, you'll get large diameter-head rivets, the cover wont pull through.
I just had a seat, pillion seat, and bar pad covered in incredibly realistic snakeskin vinyl by this guy.
Cost me just short of hundred nicker, and took just over a fortnight.
Cant recommend him enough, and no, i dont know him and i have no connection.

http://www.diggerseats.co.uk/

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/1064/seat1eh0.jpg http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/1430/bike012dw3.jpg

[xjtriker666]

digger seats nice bloke cheap and very good,,his names dave....will do owt ya want,,,,,he was at bulldog last yr,,,,,,,,,,,,,